Gitzo Lightweight Traveler Series 1 Carbon Fiber Tripod, Silver & Black (GT1555TUS)

needing a travel tripod i could carry comfortably with me daily on long walks, i ended up going back to Gitzo after my positive experience with a Series 1 Mountaineer. to achieve maximum compactness yet enough strength to reassure, i chose the 5 section series 1 over the 4 section series 0. while the latter is lighter, the former packs down smaller, is a little beefier and stands a little taller while compromising less than a pound in weight. sure, more leg sections means a little more flimsiness, but it's managed far better than the competition by using higher thread count carbon fiber and tighter tolerances in the twist locks. i wouldn't trust this with a 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 combination at full height, but that's not what this is for. at under 3.5lbs with the GH1382TQD ball head, it maxes out at 22lbs, which is reassuring, but it'll sway a bit at times with body and lens combos over 5lbs. however, shorten it up a bit, drop the center column and hunch over to look through the viewfinder and it'll sit just as steady as most middleweight tripods from lesser brands.conveniently it includes a stub column for swapping out with the center column to reach ground level. the feet are removable and can be replaced with spikes. the abbreviated version of their "G-Locks" ensures you can unlock all 5 sections at once, unless you're Donald Trump. despite being shorter, the locks still work just as smoothly and securely as the full size design on their other tripods and still lock and unlock with less than a quarter turn.it packs down extremely tight in a normally folded configuration but it can pack down even shorter with its reversible legs; you'll compromise a little in circumference but you'll reduce overall length by nearly 6 inches. altogether, the weight and short size when folded, it stows nicely on my compact Chrome Niko Camera Messenger sling, which is a very compact bag itself. also nice is the inclusion of a leather and nylon shoulder strap, for times you want the absolute minimum to carry yet still have access to a tripod.granted, Gitzo is not cheap. it's an aspirational brand with a legacy of great tripods that continues to this day. this will be the last travel tripod you'll buy, if you can afford to. i can't recommend it enough. do yourself a favor and instead of buying and breaking cheap tripods annually, buy a Gitzo and use it for a lifetime... of course, that's what it's built to withstand.

Super light and compact tripod